_version_ 1866909955594911744
author Smíd, Michal
Khademi, Pooyan
Bähtz, Carsten
Brambrink, Erik
Chalupsky, Jindrich
Cowan, Tom E.
Cafiso, Samuele Di Dio
Göde, Sebastian
Grenzer, Jörg
Hajkova, Vera
Hilz, Peter
Hippler, Willi
Höpner, Hauke
Horynova, Alzbeta
Humphries, Oliver
Jelinek, Simon
Juha, Libor
Karbstein, Felix
Laso-Garcia, Alejandro
Lötzsch, Robert
Mathéron, Aimé
Paulus, Gerhard G.
Randolph, Lisa
Sävert, Alexander
Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter
Schwinekendorf, Jan Patrick
Stöhlker, Thomas
Toncian, Toma
Valialshchikov, Maxim
Weckert, Edgar
Wessel, Colin
Zepf, Matt
author_facet Smíd, Michal
Khademi, Pooyan
Bähtz, Carsten
Brambrink, Erik
Chalupsky, Jindrich
Cowan, Tom E.
Cafiso, Samuele Di Dio
Göde, Sebastian
Grenzer, Jörg
Hajkova, Vera
Hilz, Peter
Hippler, Willi
Höpner, Hauke
Horynova, Alzbeta
Humphries, Oliver
Jelinek, Simon
Juha, Libor
Karbstein, Felix
Laso-Garcia, Alejandro
Lötzsch, Robert
Mathéron, Aimé
Paulus, Gerhard G.
Randolph, Lisa
Sävert, Alexander
Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter
Schwinekendorf, Jan Patrick
Stöhlker, Thomas
Toncian, Toma
Valialshchikov, Maxim
Weckert, Edgar
Wessel, Colin
Zepf, Matt
contents Vacuum fluctuations give rise to effective nonlinear interactions between electromagnetic fields. These generically modify the characteristics of light traversing a strong-field region. X-ray free-electron lasers constitute a particularly promising probe, due to their brilliance, the possibility of precise control and favourable frequency scaling. However, the nonlinear vacuum response is very small even when probing a tightly focused high-intensity laser field with XFEL radiation and direct measurement of light-by-light scattering of real photons and the associated fundamental physics constants of the quantum vacuum has not been possible to date. Achieving a sufficiently good signal-to-background separation is key to a successful quantum vacuum experiment. To master this challenge, a darkfield detection concept has recently been proposed. Here we present the results of a proof-of-principle experiment validating this approach at the High Energy Density scientific instrument of the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_11649
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Darkfield Approach to Measuring Vacuum Birefringence and Light-by-Light Couplings -- A Proof-of-Principle Experiment
Smíd, Michal
Khademi, Pooyan
Bähtz, Carsten
Brambrink, Erik
Chalupsky, Jindrich
Cowan, Tom E.
Cafiso, Samuele Di Dio
Göde, Sebastian
Grenzer, Jörg
Hajkova, Vera
Hilz, Peter
Hippler, Willi
Höpner, Hauke
Horynova, Alzbeta
Humphries, Oliver
Jelinek, Simon
Juha, Libor
Karbstein, Felix
Laso-Garcia, Alejandro
Lötzsch, Robert
Mathéron, Aimé
Paulus, Gerhard G.
Randolph, Lisa
Sävert, Alexander
Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter
Schwinekendorf, Jan Patrick
Stöhlker, Thomas
Toncian, Toma
Valialshchikov, Maxim
Weckert, Edgar
Wessel, Colin
Zepf, Matt
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Optics
Quantum Physics
Vacuum fluctuations give rise to effective nonlinear interactions between electromagnetic fields. These generically modify the characteristics of light traversing a strong-field region. X-ray free-electron lasers constitute a particularly promising probe, due to their brilliance, the possibility of precise control and favourable frequency scaling. However, the nonlinear vacuum response is very small even when probing a tightly focused high-intensity laser field with XFEL radiation and direct measurement of light-by-light scattering of real photons and the associated fundamental physics constants of the quantum vacuum has not been possible to date. Achieving a sufficiently good signal-to-background separation is key to a successful quantum vacuum experiment. To master this challenge, a darkfield detection concept has recently been proposed. Here we present the results of a proof-of-principle experiment validating this approach at the High Energy Density scientific instrument of the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser.
title The Darkfield Approach to Measuring Vacuum Birefringence and Light-by-Light Couplings -- A Proof-of-Principle Experiment
topic High Energy Physics - Experiment
Optics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11649